Main Street NC: Williamston's 'crisis of healthcare'

This is the second episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing.For more than two years, Williamston’s local hospital has sat empty. The closure of Martin General Hospital has meant much longer ambulance rides and big concerns about the state of healthcare in this rural county. But local leaders are hopeful the building could reopen soon as a smaller facility known as a rural emergency hospital -- if the state legislature approves funding for a proposal by ECU Health. To hear more about the plan, and how the hospital closure has affected Martin County's broader economy, WUNC News visited Williamston and spoke with Martin County Manager Drew Batts.